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At the most basic level, a Content Management
system organises content and the publishing workflow and processes
it as a finished web page or document. Just some of the issues
driving the uptake of content management systems include:
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An ever-expanding growth in electronic communications
across multiple media
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The recognition that content is critical to
basic business operations
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Regulatory requirements to provide an audit
trail and ability to recover particular versions of documents
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Economies of scale and operational efficiencies
of everyone using the same systems
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Ability to provide greater control over the
presentation of content, particularly for business brand identity
Features of
a Content Management system
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Integrates the editorial and publishing process
across an organisation
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Streamlines the workflow of the content lifecycle:
capture > create >manage >deliver > maintain (expire/archive)
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Distinguishes different content types and
templates
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Audit trails and version control
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Online business process automation
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Administrative tools for workflow, security,
archiving etc.
Evolution
of content management
Content Management (CM) is nothing new – but it has undergone
massive change. CM emerged from the Document Management software
market in the late 90’s. Originally CM applications focused
on managing discrete, single web sites but in 2000 the market
evolved to span content management across entire organisations
(the ‘enterprise’). In addition to a new breed of software
vendors focused on CM (e.g. Vignette, Interwoven) other CM vendors
included Document Management companies (e.g. Documentum, OpenText,
FileNet, Stellent), software companies (e.g. Hummingbird, Autonomy,
Microsoft) and IT behemoths (e.g. IBM).
In the aftermath of the dot.com stock
market crash and subsequent retrenchment in technology investment,
the public sector emerged as a major driver of the CM software
market – in the US the Health Insurance Portability &
Accountability Act (HIPAA), and DoD5015, which required federal
agencies to comply with conversion to paperless contracting, acted
as stimuli. Meanwhile in the UK the rush to meet the government’s
2005 deadline for delivery of e-government, together with the
Data Protection Act and the impending Freedom of Information Act
(which comes into effect on 1 Jan 05) have all prompted local
authorities to act.
Over the years, the distinctions between
document management, web site content management and enterprise
content management have blurred and the technology continues to
improve and mature – just 18 months ago an Enterprise
Content Management (ECM) system was basically a software toolkit
that had to be built out. Vendors now offer products that can
work ‘out of the box’, and that can be easily configured
to specific needs.
Now that IT investment by private corporations
is picking up, ECM is identified as a major area for expenditure
of the next few years. According to research firm Forrester, 32%
of US companies intend to invest in ECM over the next year. A
survey by another IT research firm, the META group, for ECM vendor
Stellent, of 206 companies in W. Europe, revealed that many firms
recognised the benefits and cost savings of ECM (this report complemented
a previous META survey of US firms and is available for free –
registration required – at www.stellent.com/metaresearch).
Again regulatory changes are having an impact on the market –
the Sarbanes Oxley Act in the US, the Higgs report on corporate
governance in the UK, Basel 2 for the international banking sector
etc.
More recently vendors are pushing packages
referred to as ‘Enterprise Content Integration’
reflecting the broader range of functionality they offer: based
on open standards, broader application and infrastructure platform
support (e.g. portal integration) and sophisticated metadata and
digital asset management capabilities. US research firm Gartner
refers to such products as Smart Enterprise Suite and in mid-May
published a ranking of 22 vendors in this area.
Not surprisingly, the drive towards Enterprise
Content Management is also fuelling the uptake of Enterprise Search
– e.g. Verity,
Convera,
Autonomy
and FAST –
as all those documents do need to be comprehensively classified
and readily retrieved. Considering the broadening scope of ECM
and the growing importance of both electronic records management
and web-based communications, there is fierce competition between
ECM vendors and increasing rivalry with their enterprise search
partners. In what are viewed as defensive moves, Vignette recently
acquired CM vendor Tower Technology whilst Verity acquired e-forms
specialist Cardiff Software.
Interoperability is a critical issue
and open standards are an increasingly central element for ECM
vendors. It is therefore interesting to note that, despite the
rapid evolution and maturation of ECM over the last two years,
Microsoft’s (with is proprietary code and .NET framework),
most up-to-date product in this area is the dead-pan titled ‘Microsoft
Content Management Server 2002’. Despite this, Microsoft's
abortive bid to purchase SAP shows that it is seeking to become
a major player in the market for enterprise applications.
However, ECM demands a holistic approach.
It must obviously fit within, and deliver on, an organisation’s
wider information strategy and information policies. To meet this
need, vendors have either acquired or sought partnerships with,
other technology firms and consulting firms. Content Management
Services are provided by firms such as IBM, Accenture, Xerox,
KPMG, Cap Gemini, EDS. Some Deloitte member firms around the world
do also offer such services.
Content Management
Services
Such has become the importance of ECM, that it is now regarded
as ‘mission-critical’ in many organisations.
However, ECM demands a holistic approach.
It must obviously fit within, and deliver on, an organisation’s
wider information strategy and information policies. To meet this
need, vendors have either acquired or sought partnerships with,
other technology firms and consulting firms. Content Management
Services are provided by firms such as IBM, Accenture, Xerox,
KPMG, Cap Gemini, EDS. Some Deloitte member firms around the world
do also offer such services.
An IDC report, ‘Worldwide
and US Content and Document Management Services’ identifies
five key areas that Content Management Services can help an organisation
with:
- Planning & Design: needs analysis, vendor selection,
capacity planning etc.
- Implementation: project management, system configuration,
user interface design, integrating other applications, documentation
- Operations: business recovery/contingency planning,
systems and asset management
- Training: technical, user and Information Science
(content classification, information architecture, meta data/indexing,
search engine performance) – although readers of this
magazine are suitably qualified to dispense with the need
to pay for such services – indeed we could sell to the
consultants!
- Support: telephone, email, onsite and preventive
maintenance
It is interesting to note that Information
Audits are not listed by IDC as a typical ECM related service.
This is surprising considering the role they contribute to defining
deliverables and performance metrics. Considering that regulatory
changes have been a major impetus for implementing ECM in many
organisations, it is likely that there will be a greater interest
in, and standardisation of, compliance information audits.
Selection
advice
Despite the almost bewildering array of products and services
on offer, and issues to address, there are some basic considerations
that apply to anyone considering purchasing a content management
system:
- Be clear that you actually need a content management system
– whilst a CMS will improve the delivery/retrieval of
content across an organisation it will not improve the quality
of your actual content on a web site – that’s an
editorial and writing issue – any complex web site will
need a managing editor – which a CMS is no substitute
for
- Think long-term: secure senior management buy-in and understanding
of this commitment
- Avoid the word ‘project’ – it implies a one-off
event and no future funding will be required for maintenance,
development and support – content management is a process
- What scale of CMS is required: single site? Business? Enterprise
scale?
- Carefully consider Information Architecture, Meta data (whether
automated or manual) and a Taxonomy (can use a third party
taxonomy, common XML schemas or your own custom-created taxonomy)
- Ensure that you comply with legislation (e.g. data protection),
security and regulatory obligations
- Detail your required specifications and conduct a vendor
‘beauty parade’– IT research firm Forrester
produce a useful checklist of questions to ask (IWR Feb 04)
- The decision making process will be lengthy due to the very
nature of what’s involved – you will need stakeholders
from at least the major departments in your organisation –
so allow sufficient time for this if working to a delivery
or compliance deadline.
- Don’t forget a Digital Asset Management library
Pitfalls to
avoid
Some of the typical problems that arise with the deployment of
content manage systems include:
- Wasn’t actually needed in the first place (doesn’t
apply if you’re thinking on an enterprise/organisation-wide
scale)
- Considered as a one-off ‘project’ with no planned
development
- Driven solely by IT
- Change management not sufficiently considered
- Content staff fail to clearly specify requirements e.g.
a flexible, detailed editorial calendar function, iterative,
rather than straight-line editorial workflows etc.
- Poor internal communications - IT developers and content
generators & writers wail they are ‘from different
planets’ – except of course they aren’t (as
a feminist postcard once stated, ‘Men are from earth
– so are women – Deal with it!’)
- ‘Built in a bubble’ – the configuration of
the CMS developed is not aligned with your business strategy
Deployment
Of course it's no use building a CMS platform if it is not
successfully adopted within the organisation. Users don't have
to be enthusiastic, but it is important that they are informed
and able to contribute to developments as they occur - early user
support is critical to user acceptance. As part of a team that
has deployed an enterprise content management system across Deloitte
practices in more than 90 countries, here are some of the deployment
lessons I've learnt:
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Establish support processes for deployment,
operations/use and technical troubleshooting – each will
generate different types of enquiries which need to be routed
appropriately
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Train users according to their preferred learning
style – whether its one-to-one or as part of a group.
There will always be a spectrum of ability in any large group
of people
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Develop thorough documentation – there
should be separate manuals for general CM users and more sophisticated
CM administrators. Good documentation can reduce support costs
by addressing queries at the point of source. Occasionally
highlight certain topics/aspects of your CM tool in your communications
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Specify standards and guidelines (e.g. web
style guide)
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Ensure you are using every available channel
of internal communication and that your messages are consistent
across these. Communication also needs to be regular
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Work with early adopters. Certain departments
(or more accurately the personalities within those departments)
will recognise the benefits to be gained by adopting the ECM.
They will help generate internal ‘success stories’
that can be used to win over more recalcitrant departments.
One size does not fit all, so be flexible in your approach
to deploying the ECM system to different departments or communities
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Involve users and stakeholders in the process.
This can operate on a variety of levels, ranging from a web
form to submit enhancement or development requests, to general
conference calls to discuss ideas and issues more broadly.
Adopt an ‘account management’ approach to important
groups.
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